Vocabulary – List 1

Annual- happening once a year

• The clothing store holds an annual back-to-school sale every September.• “My dad makes more money

annually than your dad,” Percy bragged.

Grotesque- weird; distorted

• The costume store had a lot of really grotesque masks. Julie wanted the one of the zombie with the acid on its face.

• When Marco looked at the grotesque angle of his arm, he knew it had to be broken.

Gawk: to stare stupidly

• Kendra and Jessica gawked at Brad Pitt when he entered the elevator with them.

• Matthew was gawking at the New York skyscrapers when he stepped into an open manhole and broke his leg.

Obese: very fat

• Eddie Murphy plays an obese man in The Nutty Professor.

• The health teacher blames potato chips and afternoon TV for so many of today’s young people being obese.

Toxic: poisonous; unhealthy; harmful

• In the movie, Batman, the Joker fell into a large vat of toxic green stuff that melted his skin.

• Be careful when eating wild mushrooms. Some of them are toxic and may harm you.

Blunder: a stupid or clumsy mistake

• The TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” usually ends with footage of all the blunders the actors made while rehearsing.

• Nobody’s perfect. Everyone makes a blunder every once in a while.

Bicker: to fight or quarrel over something silly

• The children bickered over the cupcake until their mother got so irritated she took it away and neither child got any.

• Even though he felt it was unfair. Lucas refused to bicker with his English teacher about his test grade.

Brutal: vicious, cruel

• Southern Californians may never understand how people can survive the brutal cold and heavy snow of Minnesota winters.

• After the brutal soccer match, Joanna was bruised and sore.

Feline: cat-like, member of the cat family

• The dog preferred feline food to its own Puppy Chow.

• When they lost a second feline to leukemia, the Smiths decided not to get any more pets.

Tyrant: a ruler who abuses power

• When Charlie is put in charge of his younger sisters and brothers, he often behaves like a tyrant.

• “My dad is a tyrant,” grumbled Ross. “His word is law in our house.”

Dumbfounded: speechless because of shock or amazement• Because the lottery winner was

dumbfounded, the reporteers couldn’t get a direct quote from her.

• Cherisse was dumbfounded when she discovered someone had painted her Volkswagon purple and green.

Waiver: a document that shows a person voluntarily gives up a right,

claim or privilege• Tawnie signed a waiver of her right

to an attorney. She wanted to represent herself in court.

• Patricia’s waiver of parental guardianship made adoption of her child much easier for the Edmonds.